Sudan has appointed its first ambassador to the United States in more than 20 years as the two countries seek to improve diplomatic ties.
The two states have had turbulent relations for years as the Northeast African country was under Omar al-Bashir, under whose reign the U.S. placed Sudan on its list of “state sponsors of terrorism”.
Al-Bashir was ousted from power in April 2019 following months of mass protests against his rule.
With his exit, Sudan has been on a path of reconciliation with the West, culminating in the appointment of an ambassador to the U.S.
The African country last appointed an envoy to the U.S. 23 years ago.
Sudan’s foreign ministry said on Monday that it had chosen Nureldin Satti, a veteran diplomat, as ambassador in Washington DC, and that U.S. authorities had approved his nomination.
Both countries have for the more than 20 years only appointed charge d’affaires, a diplomatic rank under an ambassador, to run their embassies in Washington and Khartoum.
In December, the U.S. Secretary of State said the two countries would exchange ambassadors.
Last year, a senior State Department official said the United States might remove Sudan from the list but the U.S. Congress needed to ratify such a move.
